"You lot have gone and caused trouble for me again."
Makarov turned to look at everyone hanging in midair and gestured to Zorn with his hands behind his back, signaling him to let them down.
Zorn received the signal and dispelled his magic.
The master seized the chance to spring up, planting a foot on Natsu's head.
"Ow~" Natsu cried as he fell to the floor, while the master landed safely on the second-floor railing and looked sternly down at everyone.
One by one, they landed and got to their feet, then listened quietly and attentively to the master's lecture.
"Everything I have here is a letter of complaint about you." The master produced a thick stack of letters from somewhere, shook them, and shot everyone a sidelong look.
"You lot get me scolded by those people at the Magic Council all day long." The master trembled with anger, crumpling the letters in his hand. He also glanced to the side, a little resentful that Zorn had been away so long. Otherwise, Zorn could have attended the routine meetings in his place, and he wouldn't have been the one getting scolded.
Zorn awkwardly rubbed his cheek and spread his hands helplessly.
Lucy, somewhat worried by the master's lecture, looked up at him and waited for him to continue.
"But..."
The master changed his tune. Flames sprang up in his hand, burning the letters to ashes, and he tossed them aside.
Like a starving dog pouncing on food, Natsu leaped into the air, swallowed the flames in one gulp, and landed safely.
"Those bastards at the Magic Council can eat *! All of you, listen up! The power to surpass perseverance comes entirely from the will to persevere. Magic is not a miraculous power. It's a power that takes form only when the flow of energy within us merges with the flow of energy in the natural world around us."
"Magic only takes shape when you put your entire soul into it. If you're always worried about the people above you and what everyone else thinks, how can you advance on your own magical path? As for those bastards at the Magic Council, I'm still here to stand in front of you, so don't be afraid. Keep moving forward on the path you believe in. That's what it means to be a mage of Fairy Tail."
The master's stirring speech, accompanied at the end by Fairy Tail's signature hand gesture, fully roused the guild.
"Yeah! Long live Fairy Tail!!"
Everyone shouted excitedly.
Lucy watched the scene before her, her eyes shining with hope. Thrilled, she pressed both hands over her heart, feeling it pound. Only now did she understand why Fairy Tail had become the number-one guild in the Kingdom of Fiore.
At the Magic Council, several council members were holding a meeting about Fairy Tail's actions above a giant blue magical formation.
"Damn it, half the port has been destroyed. If Zorn hadn't happened to return, who knows how much more damage Fairy Tail would have done to the port on this mission?"
"Well, I quite like those people. Lord Zorn is back, and I'd like to find a chance to go see him myself."
"But the guild has gathered quite a few talented people, hasn't it? Otherwise, it wouldn't have become the number-one guild in the kingdom."
"True. That's what keeps this world from being boring, isn't it?"
A blue-haired young man replied with his hands on his hips and a smile on his face.
"Then let's leave it at that. For Zorn's sake, we'll let it go this time."
"Meeting adjourned."
In a secluded place, the blue-haired man and black-haired woman who had just been at the Magic Council meeting now stood facing each other.
"Jellal, do you really want to meet Zorn, who became one of the Ten Wizard Saints while still in his teens?" Ultear held a crystal ball in one hand and looked at Jellal with some doubt.
"Who knows? Maybe he'll come looking for me first." The blue-haired young man paid her no mind, and his words left Ultear unsure what Jellal was thinking.
"Erza..."
...Back at the Fairy Tail guild.
"Master, you idiot!" With tears in his eyes, Romeo punched the master in the face, then wiped his tears and ran out of the guild.
"Bang~"
Natsu slammed the bandit mission he had just picked out against the request board, then left the guild with Happy without a word.
"Huh? What's wrong with Natsu?" Lucy was surprised by his behavior.
"Maybe Romeo's father suddenly disappearing for so long while on a mission reminded him of his own father, Igneel! He left without a word back then, too."
"To tell the truth, the mages in Fairy Tail all carry things of their own that they can't speak about!..."
Seeing that Lucy didn't quite understand, Zorn spoke in a low voice. His words also made Lisanna, who was wiping a plate nearby, pause for a moment.
"...Ever since that day, Natsu has been looking forward to seeing his father again, so he's been working hard all these years."
"I see... Then I'm going after him too." Lucy fell into thought, but after only a moment, she waved goodbye to Zorn and Cana and hurried after Natsu.
Master Makarov also stared at the guild entrance and sighed.
"Master, come to think of it, I haven't seen Laxus, Mirajane, Erza, or the others either! Have they all gone on missions?"
Zorn looked around and realized that several of the guild's S-Class Mages were absent.
"Yes. Laxus and Mirajane went on an S-Class Mission together, and they took the Thunder God Tribe and Lisanna!"
"Erza should be back soon, though."
"Oh, Laxus and Mirajane went together?" Hearing that, Zorn's curiosity for gossip stirred, and an intrigued smile appeared on his face.
"All right, I'm going out for a look around too. See you, master."
"Cana, let's go check out that new magic item shop and sell the things I brought back. They should be worth quite a bit."
Zorn finished the last of his drink and left the guild holding Cana's hand.
"Zorn, look..." Cana tugged at his clothes and pointed out the dejected Romeo sitting on the steps nearby.
"What's wrong? Are you worried about Macao and Natsu and the others? Or are you blaming yourself?"
Zorn walked over to Romeo and crouched down, looking the somewhat distracted boy in the eye.
"Brother Zorn, Sister Cana... Do you think... I'm too easily influenced by what people say? If I hadn't... pushed Dad to hurry up and take a mission, this wouldn't have happened."
Romeo looked up, his eyes brimming with tears, blaming himself.
"This isn't your fault. It's not wrong to care what others think of you, and it's not wrong to want your father to work hard. In this society, you're bound to face criticism or negative opinions from others. But as long as you believe you haven't done anything wrong and haven't inconvenienced anyone, you don't need to care what others think. Just keep being yourself."
Zorn rubbed Romeo's head. The boy was a little confused by it all. Smiling, Zorn continued, "There's no rush to understand. Just remember this: believe in your father and yourself, and Natsu and the others will definitely bring Macao back safely."
"I promise!"
"Really? Then pinky promise!"
"Haha, okay, pinky promise. And one last stamp to seal it."
Zorn and Romeo linked their hands, one large and one small, and pressed their thumbs together.
Zorn's words seemed to have worked, and a smile appeared on Romeo's face. Just then, his stomach suddenly growled, and he blushed with embarrassment.
"Come on, let's go get something tasty." Cana smiled kindly beside them and reached out to pull Romeo to his feet. The three of them headed down the street together.
As they walked, Cana looked down and asked Romeo what he wanted to eat.
Zorn, meanwhile, suddenly made an OK sign behind his back.
Standing at the guild entrance, Master Makarov saw it and breathed a sigh of relief, then walked back into the guild with a smile.